This is an account of the 1986 Mets, they beat the Red Sox in the World Series. The Red Sox almost won it in game six, an error that created the word “Bucknered” allowed the Mets to win and go to game seven.Jeff Pearlman is a Mets fan, you find this out in the beginning of the book, and he grew up to be a sports writer. He begins his narrative of the ’86 Mets by introducing us to Cashen, GM of the Mets. He promised the owners he could build a championship team, but it would take time, he was right on both fronts.The ’86 Mets were not nice guys, they drank, did drugs and chased women (even some of the married players). Most of their games they came into the clubhouse to find coolers of ice cold Budweiser. The drugs of choice were cocaine and amphetamines (speed, pep pills, uppers and greenies), and getting drunk in the back of the plane was common.While Pearlman is definitely biased towards the Mets, this is a very candid look at the team, through interviews with former players, batboys, managers and many associated with the Mets organization, it is a very well rounded look at a championship team filled with ‘bad guys’. He has knowledge of the playing side of a team as well as the business side of it, how sometimes practicality overcomes sentimentality, and times that it should. His writing is easy to follow, he makes generous use of similes, Darryl Strawberry is described as “wholesome as a Nevada brothel”, “as charming as a starved pit bull” and “as lovable as a cobra”. He talks about a pitcher who’s pitches made him “as threatening as a doe at a rifle club”.This is a very interesting book that I would recommend to baseball fans in general and Mets fans in particular.

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hildr8

Very good read. If you love to read about the nitty gritty down in the dirt stuff in sports this is a great read. Pearlmans writing has a good flow to it and his humour and sarcasm is enjoyable. Ball Four by Jim Bouton is the 1st expose' written about baseball and is a classic but this book is again grittier I find more enjoyable.

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asktheages

Like much of Pearlman's work that I've read to date, it's a solid read but doesn't get terribly in-depth, and the partying seems to get more coverage than the happenings on the baseball field. In this case, it's a little more understandable, though, since the Mets ended up winning the NL East by 20+ games that year, so there wasn't much of a pennant race. The playoffs, however, are rightfully emphasized - 1986 arguably contains the best set of playoff series in baseball history. Worth a read, just don't expect a literary masterpiece. (And as I've whined about in my other reviews of Pearlman's books, why oh why does he remind you what role a person serves constantly? We know that Bud Harrelson is the damn third base coach - you mention it practically every time you quote him! Gah!)

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progwizardry

The most fun I've ever had reading about something that REALLY happened.

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othemts

Pearlman’s over-the-top baseball history with a subtitle far too long to reproduce here tells the story of the 1986 Mets. My favorite team – arrogant, obnoxious, and damned fine ballplayers. Really the whole team (except Mookie) seem to be in an eternal childhood. Despite alternating between tell-it-all qualities and hero worship (the twin banes of sports literature) Pearlman writes an interesting book about an exciting team. Now more than ever I wouldn’t want to be friends with any of these guys (except Mookie) but it still brings back great memories.

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tahlil77

I was only 9 years old when the Mets won it all in '86, but I remember it well. I've always been a Met fan, from the time I was a baseball fan. Reading this book brought back a lot of childhood memories of watching certain players, and the excitement I felt about the Met teams of the late 1980's. An amazingly entertaining read....one that had me wondering how they were even able to focus and play to such a high level, given their antics.

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loud_librarian_1

Amazin' history of the most exciting team in Baseball history, the 1986 Mets. Includes many of the sordid details, recollections, and vintage primary sources that help make the retelling of this story a pleasure for all Mets and baseball fans. It's Metsmerizing!

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hvymetalmg

Cocaine, liquor, womanizing, fighting, dead cats - these are the elements that helped the 1986 Mets become one of the best teams in baseball history. Kudos to Billy Buckner as well. This book travels back to the year the Mets won the World Series and takes a look at the cast of characters that made up the Amazing Mets. Must read for any baseball fan. Except Yankee fans. F off.

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